Russia: Adopted Bill no. 570420-7 amending Act on Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection and Act on Communications including Content moderation authority governance

On 28 July 2023, the Bill no. 570420-7, amending the Act on Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection and Act on Communications, including content moderation authority governance, was adopted by the Federal Council. The Bill amends the Law on Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection to give new powers to the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor). The Bill would enable Roskomnadzor to expand its register of prohibited information to include websites disseminating content related to methods of circumventing access restrictions within Russia. Under the Bill, Roskomnadzor would be empowered to block websites promoting services and techniques for bypassing these restrictions, thereby preventing the popularisation and advocacy of such methods. The Bill enters into force on 31 July 2023, and the Roskomnadzor is required to amend its criteria for including websites in the register.